


Beneath That Iron Mask

by Andromath



Series: Marvel ficlets [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Hero, Gen, Hydra (Marvel), Hydra is still hiding within SHEILD, Irondad, Oscorp - Freeform, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Pre-HYDRA Reveal, Supervillain Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Villain Tony Stark, brief angst, but not evil Tony Stark, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 01:03:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17571350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andromath/pseuds/Andromath
Summary: Everyone knew that Tony Stark was the infamous super-villain, Iron Man. But nobody had ever managed to stop him before. No agency had ever infiltrated his inner circle, and even the Avengers were helpless to stop him.Everything changes when Spider-man enters the picture.





	Beneath That Iron Mask

**Author's Note:**

> This was the first thing I wrote a few months back, and I completely forgot dialogue. Oooopppsss. 
> 
> Posting here from my Tumblr.

Everyone knew that Tony Stark was the infamous villain, Iron Man. The Merchant of Death. The government knew and even the average citizen could see how they treated him with suspicion, or even contempt. The news didn’t even attempt to pretend like it wasn’t him, and Stark didn’t once use the considerable might of his legal team against organizations that insinuated such.

In fact, he seemed to relish in the attention. He knew that nobody could ever prove he was Iron Man. The suit was retrofitted with the latest stealth technology, preventing anyone from tracking his coming and going. He also had a habit of appearing in public, usually parties or sometimes even political fundraisers, when Iron Man was active. Stand there socializing with someone that caught his eye, or ordering drinks at the bar. His now trademark sunglasses making him stand out among the crowd.

Not that anyone could do anything even if they did have proof. Stark Industries still held most of the exclusive contracts with the US military, and they needed him more than they needed Iron Man dealt with. Though in the early days of Iron Man, when he was hitting terrorists in the Middle East, the US army tried to capture him.

There was only one survivor, a Col. James Rhodes.

Even the Avengers were once sent after him, and he quickly showed that even they couldn’t stand up to him. Special suits were deployed, each uniquely made to counter each Avenger, and quickly held them back long enough for Iron Man to escape.

Not that he was entirely evil, just more of a general problem. He hit fast, with minimal causalities, and only very specific targets. His largest and most frequent target were SHIELD bases (the one entity Stark Industries refused any deals with). He would data-mine all their files, destroying their research, blowing their covers. He was looking for something, but nobody ever discovered what.

When aliens invaded New York, he was also the first to begin fighting them off. And ultimately the one that saved the day, launching a nuke aimed for New York through the wormhole, before disappearing. Stark would later appear, with cuts and bruises on his face and a clear limp, to give a statement about how the alien, Loki, beat him and locked him up in his Tower’s panic room while taking control of everything. Conveniently, it was the one room without any security footage.

For years, this continues. Iron Man moves unchecked. Until one day, while raiding Oscorp for something, he is confronted by small-time superhero Spider-man. Except things didn't go as Spidey expected. One web in and Iron Man just gives up mid-heist. Says “you’ve won kid” and flies off. Then, only a few days later, everything changes.

Spider-man gets into a fight with some weird flying dude: Vulture, as the media dubs him. Everyone sees the video of Spider-man getting defeated, can hear the sound of his bones breaking, watches as he is tossed aside into Flushing Bay.

The next morning the Vulture, now identified as Adrian Toomes, is found dead in the same Bay. All the alien tech he had been selling was hand-delivered to authorities by Iron Man suits. There was little doubt that Iron Man did the deed, but the question was why?

That same morning Peter Parker, having taken the day off from school to recover, finds Tony freaking Stark himself at the front door. He ends up spending the day with the Super-villain working on improving his web formula and watching cheesy movies on pay-per-view. At the end of the day, just before May comes home, Mr. Stark gives him a brand new suit! along with a warning that if Spider-man so much as appears before Peter is recovered, Iron Man will show up and take him right back home.

That week, Iron Man makes headlines for… taking down small time criminals and rescuing kittens from trees. All within the Queens area.

It becomes a bit of a routine for Tony to show up when May leaves, help with Peter’s homework or explain more features of his suit. Eventually, he asks for Peter to become an official Stark intern, so that they can spend time together doing science. Peter isn’t sure at first, since Mr. Stark is a super villain…. but he enjoys their time together and is determined to convince May.

To say May is livid is an understatement. When Peter says he applied and got an internship under Tony Stark, her first concern is her nephew working for a Super-villain. She comes around eventually, because even she can’t deny how it is an amazing opportunity.

It goes on for almost a year. Peter’s 15th birthday comes and goes (Mr. Stark gave him prototypes of the Stark Phone and laptop they had been working on together!). Then they have their first real incident. Peter is getting ready for bed when he sees an explosion at Oscorp on the news. He suits up and is there in a few minutes, only to find… Iron Man.

It isn’t that different from the last time Spider-man confronted Iron Man, but this time Tony already got what he wanted, and left quickly. His mistake was that Peter managed to make a copy of the files he downloaded before escaping.

Peter was shocked to learn that it was data about the spiders, the experiment that made him Spider-man.

Peter stopped going to Stark Tower, stopped answering Mr. Stark’s phone calls, stopped everything. He was fraught with doubts, wondering if Mr. Stark was just using him the entire time. If Iron Man wanted an army of enhanced humans like him.

Two days later, the news was filled with reports of Oscorp’s unethical experimentation. About the unwilling subjects, homeless kids or addicts, that died after being bitten. It didn’t take Peter that long to figure out that he was the only one to survive the bite.

Within hours, a Dr. Conners was arrested. Oscorp’s stock was in the dirt. And Peter realized that Tony was behind this, he had decided to use his villainy to get back at them for Peter.

From that moment, Peter was determined to change Iron Man. To turn the villain into a hero. Tony resisted of course, told Peter he wasn’t “hero material” and that nobody would believe after all this time that he was anything but evil. Peter persisted, dragging Tony along on patrols and this didn’t go unnoticed.

One night while patrolling, alone, Peter found himself kidnapped by none other than The Avengers. He knew he shouldn’t be fanboying while tied to a chair and being interrogated about Iron Man, but these were his heroes. Or rather, they were his heroes. Once Tony showed up to rescue him, Peter was released and he Stark wasn’t seen again.

Six months without his mentor.

Six months lost about what to do.

And then… he learned the truth. Stark Industries CEO Pepper Potts had moved to have Tony officially declared deceased, and to Peter’s surprise, he was called in for the Will reading.

Tony had left him everything. Stark Industries. His personal property. Even Iron Man.

Pepper Potts was made Trustee until he turned 21, but he was given access to everything and a Trust fund to provide some income. The details would remain secret until Peter was of age, so his “childhood” could continue without the media scrutiny. But more importantly, he was given a letter. One that explained everything.

Tony Stark was his father, his birth father. Tony had always known, but felt it better he be raised by his mother and step-father. The letter revealed that in 2008, just after escaping from terrorists, Tony learned that his old business partner Obadiah Stane, working with SHIELD, was responsible for the plane crash that killed his parents. And that Peter was the target, but nobody predicted last minute he would get sick and have to be left with his Aunt and Uncle.

When he learned that Peter was Spider-man, he immediately began building the suit. He had planned to deliver it anonymously, but after he met Peter that first time he couldn’t go back. He needed to be involved in Peter’s life. So he stayed.

It put into perspective all of Tony’s actions. Why he refused to work with the SHIELD-backed Avengers. Why he consistently targeted them. Why he took the mantle of a supervillain. He really was a good man hiding beneath that Iron Mask.

And all Peter could do about it was cry for the dad he didn’t get to spend enough time with.

Peter stopped going out as Spider-man. It just seemed so unfair that the world had once again taken a parent from him. That his once-heroes took away his last parent. Crime in Queens went back up, the media wondered what happened, but Peter didn’t care. He just needed some time to process.

Then, SHIELD went to hell. HYDRA, the news said, had been growing inside the organization for years. The Avengers led the offense against HYDRA and, while it made a huge mess in Washington DC, Hydra was defeated. But all of shields files were uploaded onto the internet, including a report about a secret mission to eliminate an unknown “Stark heir” that gossip sites latched onto quickly enough.

Peter was still bitter though, pouting at the television as the anchors praised the Avengers for their work. That was, until Peter noticed something in the background of one news clips.

Iron Man. Alive.

In the days that followed, the Avengers credited Iron Man for tipping them off about HYDRA. For revealing that there were operations within SHIELD even Director Fury was not apprised to. That the Avengers faked his death so that HYDRA would be unprepared. For gathering data over years about a ghost organization working within SHIELD’s ranks.

His Dad was a hailed a hero.

Once everything was calmed down, Peter was going to give his Dad the biggest hug ever.

**Author's Note:**

> I figured without Stark to work on the Hellicarriers, Project Insight never got the go ahead. HYDRA never made a move in Winter Soldier so that is why they weren’t taken down until much later in this AU.


End file.
